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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Desperately Seeking Sour

Today I’d like to share with you a little sour beer from Belgium called Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale.

Brewed in Ertvelde Belgium and imported by Win-It-Too inc. In Santa Barbra Ca. This beer has traveled many a mile to reach my glass!

Pouring a deep red mahogany sort of color, there is an instant effervescent head that forms quickly, but dissipates just as suddenly.

The nose takes me immediately to my brewing buckets. Very little sour in the nose, but a ridiculous mild malt smell with intangible hop character makes this beer smell just like my bottling buckets!

The first thing I notice upon the very fist sip is that this beer is easily twice as thick as I was expecting.

Not at all watery, but not yet to the syrupy consistency that often plagues new drinkers.

The malt forward flavor profile is one thing that makes red beers one of my favorite styles, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.

As far as the sour side... Um... Definitely could use some more. As the beer warms, the sour flavors begin to come through the same way that bitterness begins attacking the back of the palate as an IPA begins to warm.

There is absolutely NO vinegar-like acidity, which I think I would actually like to see in this beer. The acidity and sourness is so subdued that it’s nearly a let down.

I keep ragging on what this beer doesn’t have, but it’s really very good.

The malt and sour come together to form a beautiful woody mouth filling bouquet of beery goodness.

This would be a good introductory beer for someone looking to get into sour beer or someone expanding into the wonderful world of Belgian Beers.

While potentially lacking some sourness, this beer has enough going on that it’s worth a try.

If you’re a seasoned craft beer drinker, there is a few little treats in the flavor profile that will keep you coming back sip after sip. But if you’re a BMC Drinker looking for something new, this one is light enough and smooth enough to keep from offending your palate.